powerful & captivating TV commercials – February 2014 edition

The Superbowl is just behind us where film storytelling is supposed to be at its finest. It clearly was not (see article here). Fortunately, advertisers outside of this big showcase event have blessed us with great work to overcome the disappointment from the annual event. The two main themes that are noteworthy is this pool of work are real-world storytelling and design and filmmaking craft.

Design and Filmmaking craft is becoming a required part of the tv commercial experience given the mountain of films being produced today and thus the challenge in getting appreciated and consumed. No longer are well-crafted films solely appreciated by those in the industry. The mass are rapidly gaining a well-defined design sense and thus will share a piece of work that demonstrates elevated craft. However, the story needs to respect the intelligence of the viewer. Many advertisers lean into heavy production investment to bring to life bad stories, ones that over-sell, or display messages that are blatantly forced (see the Axe Superbowl spot as an example). The following two films find the right balance between craft excellence and respectful storytelling.

Kusmi Tea – An underwater spot that is choreographed with the beauty of Cirque du Soleil

Sunday Times – “Icons” is a beautiful continuous take that moves from one famous film icon to the next

Real-world storytelling is definitely growing in popularity. People want to see stories that are real. What better way to deliver to this with than to create films that narrate real stories, or even document real events. It seems like viewers are craving for inspiration and for the truth. We need only look at the list of Oscar films this year and we quickly see that many are true stories. The era of overwhelming false promises and exaggerated storytelling is fading. Have a look at some of the stories that show us what people are looking for today.

Duracell – A very powerful story of the impact that batteries have on the life of those that we admire

Apple – Both the Mac 30 year anniversary spot and the iPad spot try to show you the role that Apple plays in all of our lives. The stories are great but don’t quite match up to the same storytelling approach mastered by Google Chrome.

CCTV China – A superb story about the role that chopsticks play in the development of core values and principles in Chinese culture